Just the word is scary for many people. No one wants to hear a doctor give such a diagnosis, but battling the disease is difficult enough without being unemployed at the same time.

And yet, with the number of downsizings and layoffs that have occurred recently, there are many individuals trying to get a job who either have the disease or have had it in the past. It's often difficult for job candidates to figure out what they must tell a future employer about their health, especially because many businesses will try and ferret out a prospective employee's medical condition before an offer is made.

The important thing for any job candidate to remember is there is no legal obligation to tell an employer if you have cancer now or have had it in the past.

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an employer may not ask:

* Whether a job candidate has cancer or has ever had cancer.

* Whether the individual is undergoing or has ever undergone such treatments as chemotherapy or radiation or taken cancer treatment drugs.

* Whether the person has had surgery or medical treatment or how much sick leave was taken in the past year.

However, under the law, an employer may ask job candidates about their ability to perform specific job tasks, such as lifting objects, and their ability to travel or to work rotating shifts.

Further, under the Americans With Disabilities Act, job candidates do need to tell potential employers if they need special accommodations because of their cancer, such as a flexible schedule in order to receive medical treatment.

So what should a job candidate reveal about his or her cancer? Some may choose to tell a hiring manager they have cancer in order to explain that treatments have caused hair loss or make them look tired or ill. Some may prefer to keep their condition private, especially if no special accommodations are needed or if they no longer have the disease.

It should be understood, however, that while the employers may ask follow-up questions if the job candidate asks for special accommodations, the hiring manager may not ask about issues such as a person's prognosis or the treatment, the EEOC says.

Of course, all this sounds reasonable, but it can be much more difficult when you need a job and a hiring manager is being inquisitive about your health. He may simply ask you how you feel (especially if you're looking ill), but you're under no requirement to be specific.

''You look just like my mom when she underwent chemotherapy last year - is that what is going on with you?'' he may ask.

While you may not want to say, ''That's an illegal question and I'm not going to answer it'' for fear of alienating an interviewer, you do need to be prepared for hiring managers who might ask such questions.

In his book Acing the Interview, Tony Beshara recommends that to avoid becoming confrontational, a job candidate can simply say, ''How does the answer to that question have an impact on my performance of the job or my ability to get it?''

''I don't recommend 'winning the battle but losing the war' over illegal questions,'' Beshara says. ''If you think it's appropriate to set someone straight about illegal questions, feel free to do so. If the questions offend you, just don't go to work there.''

The EEOC says that after an offer has been made and accepted, an employer ''may ask questions about an applicant's health and may require a medical examination as long as it treats all applicants for the same type of position in the same manner.'' However, a job offer is not considered ''real'' the EEOC says, ''until the employer has obtained and evaluated all readily available non-medical information.''

Finally, new hires need to be aware that an employer can take back a job offer if it is determined that the new employee cannot perform the required functions of a job, with or without reasonable accommodations, or because a direct safety threat is posed. Under the law, the EEOC says, the employer is supposed to ''evaluate the applicant's present ability to perform the job rather than make unfounded assumptions.''

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* ANITA BRUZZESE can be reached c/o Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22107.